Lohr Abby M, Bell Melanie L, Coulter Kiera, Marston Sallie, Thompson Moses, Carvajal Scott C, Wilkinson-Lee Ada M, Gerald Lynn B, Korchmaros Josephine
The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Health Educ Behav. 2023 Oct;50(5):637-646. doi: 10.1177/10901981221084266. Epub 2022 Mar 21.
When students feel connected to their school, they experience positive health and academic outcomes. In contrast, school disengagement is a predictor of dropout, delinquency, and substance use. School garden programming has the potential to help children achieve academic outcomes and feel connected to their school. Unfortunately, most school garden research has been conducted with white, affluent study participants. We describe the results of a secondary analysis utilizing data from an evaluation of a university-supported community school garden program (CSGP). Using a cross-sectional survey study design, we examined the impact of school garden programming in Title I schools on primarily Latino/a (Hispanic) elementary student self-reported learning and feelings of school connectedness by comparing students with ≤1 year exposure to those with >1 year. Social cognitive theory formed the conceptual basis for the analysis. Duration of school garden exposure did not have a significant association with self-reported learning or feelings of school connectedness. Regardless of past exposure, fifth-grade students, females, and those who identify as Latino/a (Hispanic) felt that school garden programming improved their learning. Latino/a (Hispanic) students who participate in school garden programming may also feel a greater sense of connection to their teachers and peers at school. Qualitative results demonstrated that most students enjoyed spending time in the garden and indicated that participating in the program helped them learn new things and feel connected to their school. If individuals who may be disadvantaged because of systemic racism, such as Latino/a (Hispanic) students, can benefit from school garden programming, such interventions should be further investigated and prioritized.
当学生感到与学校有联系时，他们会有积极的健康和学业成果。相比之下，学校疏离是辍学、犯罪和药物使用的一个预测因素。学校花园项目有潜力帮助孩子们取得学业成果并感到与学校有联系。不幸的是，大多数学校花园研究是针对白人、富裕的研究参与者进行的。我们描述了一项二次分析的结果，该分析利用了对一个大学支持的社区学校花园项目（CSGP）评估的数据。采用横断面调查研究设计，我们通过比较接触学校花园项目≤1年的学生和接触>1年的学生，研究了第一类学校中学校花园项目对主要为拉丁裔（西班牙裔）小学生自我报告的学习和学校联系感的影响。社会认知理论构成了分析的概念基础。学校花园接触时间与自我报告的学习或学校联系感没有显著关联。无论过去的接触情况如何，五年级学生、女生以及那些自认为是拉丁裔（西班牙裔）的学生都认为学校花园项目改善了他们的学习。参与学校花园项目的拉丁裔（西班牙裔）学生在学校可能也会对他们的老师和同龄人有更强的联系感。定性结果表明，大多数学生喜欢在花园里度过时光，并表示参与该项目帮助他们学到了新东西并感到与学校有联系。如果像拉丁裔（西班牙裔）学生这样可能因系统性种族主义而处于不利地位的个体能够从学校花园项目中受益，那么这种干预措施应该得到进一步研究并被优先考虑。
